ASCE - Houston Branch RSS Feed

Joint ASCE/HCA Lunch Meeting on 26-Aug-10 11:00 AM

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Joint ASCE/HCA Lunch Meeting
Start Date: 26-Aug-10 11:00 AM
End Time: 26-Aug-10 1:00 PM
Location: HESS Club (Houston Engineering and Scientific Society Club), Houston, Tx 77056
Event Details:

Main Speaker:

Mayor Annise Parker

City of Houston

Agenda:

11:00 am - Reception

12:00 pm - Luncheon

Cash, checks, and credit cards are now accepted at the meeting. To speed the process of checking people in at the meetings, you are encouraged to pay online before the meeting.

HESS Club (Houston Engineering and Scientific Society Club)

5430 Westheimer Rd

Houston, Tx 77056

SSpeed Center Conbference on 13-Sep-10 8:00 AM

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:00:00 GMT

SSpeed Center Conbference
Start Date: 13-Sep-10 8:00 AM
End Time: 15-Sep-10 5:00 PM
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Event Details:

Dr. Philip Bedient and Jim Blackburn are hosting the annual conference Hurricane Ike: What We Have Learned and Steps For The Future. This one day event will bring together experts in the private, public, and academia sectors to explore the newest research and developments.

Learn more and register at:

President's Message

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Dear Fellow Engineers and Friends:

““Top Hat”/ “Cut and Cap,” these terms used lately regarding the oil spill crisis are bringing engineers to the spotlight. The BP Horizon explosion one month ago has catapulted engineers as the leading news story in trying to cap the well that is releasing approximately one million gallons of oil into the Gulf every day. So far the efforts to cap the well have been unsuccessful, but hopefully there will be a solution soon. Typically, engineers do not “get press” until a disaster strikes. The public is asking, “Why couldn’t the problem have been foreseen?” They ask the same questions of infrastructure. Two years ago, the I-35W bridges in Minnesota collapsed. In 2009, ASCE released the National Infrastructure Report Card with an overall grade of D. In Texas, the overall grade was C-. In Sunday’s paper, the CEO of IBM discussed the need to increase the infrastructure investment in transportation by leveraging technology. This information has been made public that the infrastructure is crumbling, so the question should really be “What are the solutions that we can begin to implement to improve our failing infrastructure?” ASCE National has been conducting Infrastructure Roundtables that discuss potential solutions. Although it may seem that the failing infrastructure is a national problem, it becomes a very personal issue when it affects you. What can we do in Houston?

ASCE Houston is spearheading an event to educate the public on infrastructure and why infrastructure investment is important. The event will occur this fall, with townhall sessions, an education festival for K-12, a candidate meet and greet and a gubernatorial debate. The Infrastructure Townhall is in the planning stage. A committee has been formed and volunteers are needed for education, finance, administration and publicity committees. The townhall sessions will educate the public on different infrastructure topics, such as transportation, water, drainage, energy grid, sustainability and airports and ports. The sessions will have a speaker, moderator and panelists. The public will be able to ask questions, which we will be able to compile for future use. ASCE Houston will be able to use information and solutions from the Infrastructure Roundtables to provide to the public. The educational festival will give the public opportunities to experience hands-on engineering experiments, as well as see “what lies beneath”. We are expecting a huge turnout, so volunteers are needed for planning and the day of the event. If you would like to be a part of this exciting event, please contact infrastructure@ascehouston.org or contact me at president@ascehouston.org for more information.

We had a great meeting in May with Mike Talbott giving an update on the Harris County Flood Control District. Although money is tight, the District is working hard to use their budget wisely. The June meeting will feature Jim Grace from Baker Botts, who will present on Public Private Partnerships. I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

B. Andrea Cheng Ranft, P.E.

4-Jun-10 11:00 PM

Houston Branch Meeting Main Speaker

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 03:00:00 GMT

BP Oil Spill

Professor Satish Nagarajaiah

Professor Satish Nagarajaiah holds a joint appointment between the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and the Mechanical Engineering and Material Science Department at Rice University. He obtained his Ph.D. (1987-1990) from State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was a post-doctoral researcher before he started his academic career in 1993.

Dr. Nagarajaiah’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of structural dynamic systems and control; smart-structures-materials-sensors; system identification; monitoring; applied nanotechnology; earthquake and wind engineering; offshore structures; civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering. His research is funded by the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, other state and Federal Agencies. National Science Foundation has awarded him the prestigious faculty early CAREER award for his research in structural control. He has published nearly sixty journal papers and over hundred conference papers. He currently supervises seven Ph.D. students. He holds two U.S. Patents. Visit the following web site www.ruf.rice.edu/~nagaraja for full details.

Dr. Nagarajaiah currently serves as the co-editor of the international journal—structural control and health monitoring journal [Wiley Journal], and serves on the editorial board of four other international journals. He served as the associate editor for the journal of structural engineering (2002-2006) and as the guest editor of several special issues in various journals. He currently serves as the chairman of ASCE Structural Engineering Institute, Technical Activities Division Executive Committee. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of the international association of structural control and monitoring. He served as the chair of the U.S. panel on structural control and monitoring (2006-2008). He was the founding chair structural health monitoring and control committee (2004-2006), ASCE-Engineering Mechanics Institute, and chair of the structural control committee (1998-2002), ASCE Structural Engineering Institute.

4-Jun-10 10:00 PM

Houston Branch Meeting Technical Session #1

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:30:00 GMT

Shoretec® Revetment Methods

Patrick Bonorden will be presenting Shoretec®.
Shoretec® offers the most durable, effective and environmentally-friendly, erosion control revetment methods for fighting severe erosion problems.

Whether you are an engineer, architect, designer, or contractor there are projects which require hard-armor revetment systems to prevent erosion of soils and sub grades. Shoretec is a leader in the design and manufacture of these systems. Our articulated concrete block (ACB) system is durable, aesthetic and an environmentally compatible solution at a cost savings of up to 50% when compared to traditional hard armor methods.

On sites where access is difficult or where the installation is of an irregular shape is required, Shoretec offers an attractive and economical solution.

4-Jun-10 9:30 PM

Houston Branch Meeting Technical Session #2

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:15:00 GMT

NEPA Documentation

Tim Kroeker

Tim Kroeker is a NEPA Specialist/Urban Planner with Berg Oliver Associates, Inc. He has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design with a specialization in Urban Planning and Downtown Revitalization and has almost 15 years of experience in environmental planning projects in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Kroeker has specialized in environmental planning for transportation projects with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Arizona Department of Transportation and his responsibilities include project management, transportation master plans, bicycle and pedestrian master plans, organization and coordination of public meetings, presentation and reporting to senior public and appointed municipal, county, and state officials, preparation of technical documents, and GIS mapping. Mr. Kroeker has also been involved in developing long, medium, and short range infrastructure policy and program plans, he has written planning and regional transportation reports that include policy direction, and he has been involved in developing project direction. Mr. Kroeker has also been involved in economic development projects for townships in Cape Town, South Africa.

4-Jun-10 9:15 PM

Younger Member's Report

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:00:00 GMT

Fellow Younger Members,

Below is a recap of last month’s events and information regarding upcoming events.

Recap

9^th Annual Golf Tournament: On Friday, May 14^th the Younger Members hosted the 9^th Annual ASCE Golf Tournament to benefit our scholarship fund for our local universities. The scramble-style tourney was held at the Cypresswood Golf Course. There were 53 players in attendance, each helping raise $3,300 for our scholarship fund. The winning team, consisting of David Ellett, Kirk Eager, and Franco Puentes, shot an impressive 60 strokes. Special thanks to our sponsors and also Scott Marr and Jeri Ji for organizing this event.

Joint Rock Climbing Event w/ AIChe: On Saturday May 15^th, we participated in a joint social event with AIChe at the Texas Rock Gym. There were 14 people between both societies in attendance. Everyone that attempted seemed to be successful at making it to the top at least once. After we exhausted ourselves from our respective climbs we enjoyed some pizza and conversation. Special thanks to Laura Espinoza for helping put on this event.

Upcoming Events

ASCE Night Out at Minute Maid Park: Come join us to watch the Houston Astros take on the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park on June 19th at 7:05 pm. This will be a joint event with the Fort Worth Branch. We will be given a tour of the park at 3:00 pm and afterwards we get to watch some of batting practice from the Diamond Club level seats. Tickets are just $25 and includes the game, tour and Nolan Ryan Bobblehead! You can RSVP online at http://ascehouston.org/en/cev/125. Please specify if you will be attending the tour. Bring guests! Please contact Brett Pope (bapope@terracon.com) if you have any questions.

Brett Pope

ASCE Houston Younger Member Forum Chair

If you are age 35 or younger and want to join the Younger Members Group, please email Brett Pope at bapope@terracon.com.

4-Jun-10 9:00 PM

Treasurer's Report

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:00:00 GMT

As of June 1, 2010
Paypal	$	4,560.17
Money Market	$	27,733.79
Main Checking	$	6,238.18
Section Mtg. Checking	$	1,000.00
Certificate of Deposit	$	40,846.63
Total	$	80,378.77

4-Jun-10 8:00 PM

Membership Report

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Currently, adjusted assignments to the Houston Branch include 2942 members. 86% of all National renewals (2108 members) elected to pay their Texas Section Dues. Thank you for your strong ASCE participation!

2009-2010 ASCE Houston Branch Membership Report
Report Date		Total Assigned Membership	Total National Dues Paid		Total Section Dues Paid
September	9/2/2009	2981	2557	86%	2051	80%
October	10/7/2009	3114	2602	84%	2105	81%
November	11/3/2009	3140	2644	84%	2165	82%
December	12/3/2009	3160	1441	46%	1253	87%
January	1/5/2010	3202	1856	58%	1583	85%
February	2/3/2010	3242	2097	65%	1778	85%
March	3/3/2010	3290	2260	69%	1909	84%
April	4/5/2010	3319	2375	72%	1987	84%
May	5/3/2010	2916	2464	85%	2057	83%
June	6/3/2010	2942	2528	86%	2108	83%

Current active Members are eligible to win special monthly and quarterly prizes through the 2009-2010 Member-Get-A-Member drive (http://content.ascedrive.org/).

Who do I contact with Membership questions?

Houston Branch Membership Chair:

Anthony Luce, aluce@browngay.com, 713-488-8146

National Membership Contact - memrec@asce.org or call 800-548-2723

How to Join - https://www.asce.org/membership/howtojoin.cfm

Online Application - https://www.asce.org/online/

Renew Your Membership - https://www.asce.org/lib/redirect/

Additional Membership Information - https://www.asce.org/membership/

4-Jun-10 7:00 PM

Monthly Trivia

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Questions of the Month

The questions of the Month became interactive. Click the link below to test your knowledge!!

http://www.ascehouston.org/en/sur/?7

Solution to May's Questions

1. How may seconds are in a day?
85460.40
86400.00 (there are only 86400 seconds per day)
86457.40
86456.60

2. How many days are in a year?
364.25
365.00
365.50
365.25 (There are 365.24 days per year, the .25 is saved up and corrected every 4th year
on Leap Year)

4-Jun-10 6:00 PM

President's Message

Fri, 07 May 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Dear Fellow Engineers and Friends:

The April Meeting was great with a mix of engineers at different places in their careers. We awarded seven students with scholarships, recognized one newly licensed P.E. and congratulated six members on becoming Life Members. Engineers without Borders was the main speaker and provided information on projects in Africa and Nigeria. As ASCE Partners, we have a great opportunity to support them financially as well as professionally. They are looking for mentors and project managers for different projects. If you hear the calling, please contact EWB-Houston.

The Education Committee held a successful seminar with “FEMA 55: Coastal Construction Manual (for Residential Construction)”. FEMA and the Houston Branch are contemplating a follow-up seminar in the summer. Look for emails and visit the website for information. The Technical Programs will be hosting a HEC-RAS – Unsteady Flow seminar on May 19^th. The spots are filling up fast, so register today!

The May meeting will be a lunch meeting with technical sessions. Mike Talbott, P.E., of Harris County Flood Control will be the speaker. HCFCD has been busy with preparing an update of their design guidelines, as well as drainage projects. We look forward to his update.

Another tragedy has struck the engineering community. The Deepwater Horizon project, which was highlighted last year, exploded and sunk this past month. Unfortunately, the oil is still flowing and has not been capped yet. Hopefully, the engineers working on the solution will be able to solve it soon. The effects on the economy and ecology have yet to be determined. We need to learn from this project on how we can improve designs and safety measures and to discuss worst-case scenario solutions.

The ASCE Houston Board had a great opportunity at the last Board Meeting to talk with the National President Blaine Leonard, P.E. He was in town for the Offshore Technology Conference and stopped by to meet the Board and share his thoughts on sustainability and infrastructure. He was very interested in the Low Impact Design Competition and ASCE Houston’s role in supporting sustainability.

ASCE Houston Branch wants to keep the engineering community updated with ASCE initiatives, new technology and best practices. If you have a particular need that you want us to fulfill, please let me know at president@ascehouston.org.

Sincerely,

B. Andrea Cheng Ranft, P.E.

6-May-10 11:00 PM

Houston Branch Meeting Main Speaker

Fri, 07 May 2010 03:00:00 GMT

Harris County Flood Control District Programs and Projects

Michael D. Talbott, P.E.

MICHAEL D. TALBOTT, P.E., the Director of the Harris County Flood Control District in Houston, Texas, has been with the district for 29 years. Under his direction, the district carries out its mission to devise countywide flood damage reduction plans, implement those plans, and maintain the infrastructure. That mission is executed in the third most populated county in the United States, with a population in excess of 3.9 million, which includes the City of Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city. The district has jurisdiction over the primary stormwater facilities in the county, which consist of about 1,500 channels, totaling nearly 2,500 miles in length, as well as more than 40 regional stormwater detention basins and a 2.5-square mile wetlands mitigation bank. Mr. Talbott is active in a number of associations, local committees and task force groups relating to stormwater planning and environmental management. Mr. Talbott is a licensed professional engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston.

6-May-10 10:00 PM

Home Page

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:06:50 GMT

August Joint ASCE/HCA Lunch Meeting
August 26 at 11:00 at HESS

ASCE Houston Event Calendar

Register for upcoming events with ASCE Houston

Scholarships

Continuing Education

Branch Meeting PDH Certificates

YM Photos

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:57:47 GMT

2010 June - Night Out at Minute Maid Park

2010 June - AIA Sandcastle Competition

2009 - 2010 - Younger Member Past Events

2008 - 2010 - Younger Member Past Events

Branch Meeting PDH Certificates

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:54:24 GMT

June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010February 2010 Technical Tour January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008

ASCE Houston Weblink Categories

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:37:05 GMT

1. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES 2. EDUCATION 3. PUBLICATIONS 4. GOVERNMENT 5. CONSTRUCTION 6. ENVIRONMENTAL 7. GEOTECHNICAL 8. HYDROLOGY & HYDRAULICS 9. LAND DEVELOPMENT 10. STRUCTURAL 11. SUSTAINABILITY 12. TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION 13. GIS / SURVEYING 14. STANDARDS 15. MISCELLANEOUS Professional Societies ASCE National ASCE Region 6 ASCE Texas ACEC American Council of Engineering Companies AIA American Institute of Architects APWA American Public Works Association AWWA American Water Works Association EWB Engineers Without Borders HCEC Houston Council of Engineering Companies ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers ITSA Intelligent Transportation Society of America ITS-Texas Intelligent Transportation Society of Texas NAE National Academy of Engineering NCEES National Academy of Examining Engineers and Surveyors NSBE National Society of Black Engineers NSPE National Society of Professional Engineers SHPE Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers SAME Society of Military Engineers SPE...

Greater Houston Infrastructure Day

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:35:07 GMT

Under Construction

Scrolling Announcements and Events

Tue, 18 May 2010 18:40:15 GMT

Officer Nominations Is Back Click Here For More Information! To apply for an ASCE Scholarship, go to the “History and Awards” tab above and view the application under the “Branch Scholarships” button. Renew your ASCE Membership Today! Volunteer Today!

Current YM Events

Mon, 03 May 2010 16:42:29 GMT

9th Annual Golf Tournament On Friday, May 9th at 8:00 am, the Younger Members will be hosting the 9th Annual ASCE Golf Tournament to benefit our scholarship fund for our local universities. The four team scramble-style tourney will be held at the Cypresswood Golf Course. Burgers and Chicken will be served during lunch and snacks and beverages will be provided during tournament play. Bring your friends, clients or coworkers and join us for all the fun! Registration fees are $100 for individuals, $50 for government employees and $50 for students. Registration is open until April 30th and late registration ends May 7th (Additional $10 fee applies). There are also sponsoring opportunities that range from our Bronze level ($150) to our Platinum level ($750). The official tournament flyer and registration form is located at the link below. 2010 Golf Tournament Flyer 2010 Golf Tournament Registration Form Please contact either Scott Marr (smarr@fugro.com) or Jeri...

Past Younger Member Events

Mon, 03 May 2010 16:35:33 GMT

Graduation Picnic: On Saturday, May 1st we met at Memorial park for our annual Graduation Picnic for students at our local universities. There were around 12 attendees, which included students from both University of Houston and Rice. We enjoyed the nice weather along with more than enough barbeque to go around. The students gladly took with them all of the leftovers we had. Special thanks to Gareth Young and Julio Salinas for putting on this event. Congratulations to all of the Graduates! ECH Leadership Seminar: On Saturday, February 27th, four Younger members went to a Leadership seminar put on for several local engineering societies. The event was held at the new Houston Natural Science Museum in Sugarland. We helped share ideas on what we think young engineers want and also developed ways that all of the societies can work together effectively. Supercharge Your Career: On Thursday, February 25th, five Younger Members made a trip down to the Houston Space...

Flash Rotator

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:54:53 GMT

How to update images in your Flash rotator

Our Sponsors

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:29:11 GMT

If your company would like to become a sponsor of the ASCE Houston Branch, please contact the ASCE Vice President of Administration, Patrick Beecher, at pmbeecher@terracon.com for more information. AEI Engineering is a consulting civil engineering firm located in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area, offering civil engineering services to Municipalities, Government Agencies, Developers, Industry, and other Consulting Engineering firms. Drawing on a solid record of experience and achievement, our team offers the following professional services: Wastewater Collection & Treatment Water Distribution, Supply & Treatment Drainage Analysis Design Residential Development Site Development Transportation Feasibility Studies AEI has been providing quality engineering services to its clients for over twenty years. Our engineers also offer professional consulting services in water district creation, bond reports, permit applications, construction supervision, and...

Newsletter Trivia Question - June 2010

noemail@ascehouston.org — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Objectives:

To gain a perspective of the largest populated cities defined by metro area in the United States are 1)New York, 2)Los Angeles, 3)Chigago, 4)Houston with respect to the world.

Release Date: 10-Jun-10 9:00 AM
Expiration Date: 30-Jun-10 11:45 PM

Select the rank of the top 4 major cities of the USA with respect to their Metro population

Newsletter Trivia Question - May 2010

noemail@ascehouston.org — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Objectives:

Release Date: 8-May-10 10:00 AM
Expiration Date: 31-May-10 11:45 PM

Newsletter Trivia Question - April 2010

noemail@ascehouston.org — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Objectives:

This month's questions pertain to geography and our environment. I hope you find this as informative as did I searching for these geographical landmarks. Fifty questions, one for each of the Fitty States, try to get at least 10 correct.

Release Date: 8-Apr-10 2:15 PM
Expiration Date: 30-Apr-10 11:45 PM

Travel the Fifty States!

This may take a little research, but once you have found your answers, complete the survey. Have fun and good luck!

2008 ASCE Publicity Survey

noemail@ascehouston.org — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Objectives:

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Policy makers and the general public generally do not recognize that civil engineering and infrastructure is paramount to ensure our standard of living and promote future economic prosperity.

PUBLICITY PROGRAM OBJECTIVE
Increase awareness of the importance of civil engineering education and the continued investment in infrastructure.

Release Date: 5-May-08 8:00 AM
Expiration Date: 30-Jun-08 0:00 AM

Thank you for taking time to complete the 2008 ASCE Publicity Survey. The survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

The survey is designed to assess the priorities of ASCE members concerning involvement in infrastructure issues, civil engineering education, and the image of the civil engineer. The results of this survey will be used to formulate an ASCE publicity campaign to address the following problem statement and program objective.

Individual responses to this survey will only be used by the ASCE Houston Branch Publicity Committee and will not be shared with other members. Again, thank you for your participation.

Terracon Technical Tour

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Terracon Technical Tour

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Terracon Technical Tour

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Sandcastle Competition

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Sandcastle Competition

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Sandcastle Competition

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Raba Kistner Presentation

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

PE luncheon

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Joint Social Mixer

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

Golf Tournament

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:54:46 GMT

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2007-05-04T16:29:19Z

Instructor: Instructor

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